The National Security Agency is planning to build a new utility plant at its Fort George G. Meade headquarters, a US$219 million project that could mean big business for contractors in Greater Baltimore.

As the agency ramps up its cyber security efforts, it needs the added power for data centres and computers to bring thousands of new workers to the Anne Arundel County military base. The agency expects to add at least 6,500 employees by 2014. Over the next three years, the NSA plans to spend at least US$2 billion on campus improvements to accommodate that growth, according to a federal Environmental Impact Statement.